Regulators Weigh Utility Bid for Power Plant

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Dominion Virginia Power's request to build a gas-fired power plant in Brunswick County is in the hands of state regulators.

The state's largest utility is asking the State Corporation Commission to give the green light to the proposed $1.3 billion power plant near Lawrenceville. The company says it would create more than 500 construction jobs and more than 40 full-time jobs.

The Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club says a full week of hearings concluded Tuesday in Richmond. It opposes the plant, and says the company should look to cleaner energy such as wind and solar.

If approved, the Richmond-based company expects the power station would be completed by the spring of 2016. The initial increase to the typical residential customer would be 83 cents starting Sept. 1.